*2 weeks later*
Harry woke up feeling happy on his birthday for the first time in years. Amanda had been "busy" a lot lately and he was sure a party was in order. He got up, put on a pair of clean jeans and a nice shirt he had bought while on one of many shopping excursions with Amanda and headed to the window to look out at the beautiful, clear sky. He turned around at Hedwig's hoot and saw a pile of presents and letters. His heart leapt and he sat down in front of his bounty.
He opened his best friend Ron's first.
Harry,
Happy birthday! Guess what? We're going to Hermione's this summer! She'll tell you more in her birthday letter. How are you? Muggles getting you down? Hope not. Well, hope you like the present from me and Ginny, we chipped in. I think she might've sent you a letter, I'm not sure. It's something we're sure will come in handy. Me and Ginny found it quite entertaining. Well, have a great birthday. See you soon!
Ron
Harry smiled and opened his present from Ron and Ginny. It was rectangular, covered with gold paper and Ron had drawn a sloppy Gryffindor lion in red ink. He chuckled. He took off the paper carefully, put it to the side, and saw a green velvet book. In smooth silver writing, it was entitled, The Boys' Handbook: What Girls Think About and Other Mysteries Solved. He laughed out loud and opened the front cover. A letter in a girl's handwriting fell out onto his lap. Harry picked it up and read:
Dear Harry,
Isn't this incredibly useful? I've heard about your Cho trouble. Anyway, happy 16th birthday. You've been alive 16 years! Isn't that a blessing? Well, I'll see you soon. Happy birthday!
Love from,
Ginny
It was a very thoughtful gift, Harry thought, although maybe a bit personal.
He put the book aside to read later. He opened Hermione's letter next.
Dear Harry,
Happy birthday! I've got great news! You're coming to my house this summer! Ginny and Ron are coming too, of course. We'll pick you up on August 1st at 8 am, so be ready! Sorry for the short notice. Don't worry, we'll use a car to pick you up with. See you soon!
Love from,
Hermione
He picked up his present, thoroughly excited that he was going to the Grangers'; he just hoped that Ron and Hermione wouldn't bicker too much. Inside was a bunch of miniature broomstick models that flew about the room when unwrapped. He smiled, then reached for Hagrid's gift next. He unfolded the letter and read Hagrid's scrawled writing.
Harry,
Happy birthday! Let's hope nothing bad happens this year, eh? You're sixteen, so have fun!
Cheers,
Hagrid
Harry grinned and put the letter to the side. He unwrapped the box, but it suddenly shook, and Harry withdrew his hand. Hagrid had a tendency to send dangerous things as presents, though not on purpose. Apprehensively, he opened the box to see what was inside, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a mimbulus mimbletonia. For a second he had thought it would be something dangerous. He put the strange plant on the side table and set his birthday cards on top of the cabinet. Harry stepped back, admiring them.
At that moment, the door bell rang, and Harry ran down the stairs two at a time. He opened the door and saw Amanda. He caught his breath and said hello.
"Hey, Harry! Happy Birthday! You're finally 16!" She paused and smiled. "You know what that means, doncha? You are now older than me!"
Harry smiled. "So where are we going today? Park...swimming..."
"Well, my house first,"she said pensively,"and we'll figure out what to do afterwards, when the time comes."
They walked down the road, chattering aimlessly until they reached Amanda's house. She opened the door and ushered him inside. It was completely dark. She fumbled with the light switch. The light turned on, and...
"SURPRISE, Harry! Happy Birthday!" Amanda screamed, next to his ear (where, frankly, he was sure he was now deaf) along with more voices. And from behind a corner jumped out Ron, Hermione and Ginny.Amanda hugged him, followed by Hermione and Ginny. Ron shook his hand, and said "Hello, mate!"
Harry turned to Amanda and stammered out, "T-thanks Am-manda, w-wow...I n-never expected this! How'd you find Ron and Hermione?"
She beamed. "Well, they had just pulled up to your house. I was finding a lack of response for your party," she smiled sheepishly, "I went up to them and asked if they knew you. They said yes, so I invited them over to help out. They were rather enthusiastic about it, almost as much as I was!"
He turned to Ron and Hermione and asked, "Why'd you guys come early? Not that I mind of course..."He added hastily, "but you were due tomorrow."
Hermione smiled bemusedly and said, "Well, we thought we'd give you a little surprise and pick you up early. Did you like our gifts?"
"Oh yes, the model broomsticks were great, thanks. Ron and Ginny's gift was great too. Very interesting."
Ginny laughed. "I knew you'd find it useful."
"What'd you get him, Ginny?" Amanda inquired.
"Oh,just a book that tells you how to deal with girls." Ginny replied.
Amanda laughed, along with Hermione.
Hermione and Ginny seemed to be getting along well with Amanda, as they were talking and laughing quite happily and comfortably in their own little world.
Ron pulled Harry aside then, and whispered with a bit of a smirk, "So, who is this Amanda? A new girlfriend? Gotten over Cho that quickly, eh?"
Harry flushed. "No. We're just friends. But you should be the one to talk." He added furiously, "You're the dolt who doesn't realize that you and Hermione like each other!"
A creep of red went up Ron's cheeks. "What are you talking about?"
Harry rolled his eyes and groaned. "Nothing."
They went over to join Ginny, Hermione, and Amanda, who were talking about Muggle music.
When Hermione spotted them coming over, she called, "Hey, guys, we'd better go. We're late as it is, and my mum's waiting in the car."
Amanda's face fell, and in a disappointed voice replied, "Already?"
"Yeah." Hermione checked her watch. "It was a lovely party, Amanda. It was nice to meet you." Hermione looked up and smiled. They all headed towards the door.
"Harry, wait up for a bit, please!" Amanda called behind her shoulder, as she ran up the stairs at full speed.
She went back down just as rapidly, stopping before him with flushed cheeks and a gift wrapped in paper with balloons all over it. "I just wanted to give you your present."
"Thanks." He took it awkwardly.
Amanda surprised him then, by kissing him on the cheek tentatively. When she drew back, her eyes were sparkling oddly. "Well, see you next summer." She murmured, eyes downcast.
Harry smiled. "Okay, see you then." He said, with his heart twinging a bit. It must have been those two pieces of cake, he thought, rubbing his chest.
"Bye," he called as he walked out the door.
"Bye," she said sadly, and closed the door behind him. Harry jogged down the front steps and headed towards a silver Mercedes. Harry's eyes widened in disbelief as he climbed in the back seat. Ron had apparently already brought his trunk down, as he was nursing his toe and muttered, "Damn trunk" under his breath repeatedly.
"Wow, Hermione, Mrs. Granger, you're well-off, aren't you? Nice car." Harry said appreciatively.
She blushed, glanced at Ron and said, "Well, a bit. It's not a big deal. Thanks, though..." Mrs. Granger, who had brown hair like Hermione's (except rather less bushy) and sparkling hazel eyes looked back, smiled at them, and said, "Ready?"
They nodded.
Ron eyed the gift on Harry's lap. "Who's that from? Why haven't you opened it yet?"
Harry looked down. "Oh, that. Amanda gave to me. I'll open it now."
Hermione's mother was starting the car, and they all jumped as they heard it. But soon their attention was back on the present. He opened the card first.
Dear Harry,
Happy birthday. This summer has been a lot of fun. Thanks so much for making me feel at home in Little Whinging, I appreciate it. I only wish we went to the same boarding school. St. Brutus' s, eh? Knew you had it in you! (Joking! You're a good guy and great friend!) Thanks for everything. See you next summer. I'll send the Dursleys a letter every so often to give to you, so we can stay in touch. Happy 16th!
Love,
Amanda
They all smiled. Ron nudged the gift. "Open it!" he urged.
Harry pulled off the wrapping paper, and inside was a leather bound book. He opened the first page. Instead of letters, he saw sketches of himself and Amanda, some photos, and quotes and such about friendship (such as, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'). He smiled as they flipped through the book, which was about 20 pages long. Some sketches took up two pages, and were very good. They captured their expressions exactly.
"Wow," whispered Hermione. "She's good."
They kept flipping through the pages and the trip to Hermione's house passed by in no time.
Harry woke up feeling happy on his birthday for the first time in years. Amanda had been "busy" a lot lately and he was sure a party was in order. He got up, put on a pair of clean jeans and a nice shirt he had bought while on one of many shopping excursions with Amanda and headed to the window to look out at the beautiful, clear sky. He turned around at Hedwig's hoot and saw a pile of presents and letters. His heart leapt and he sat down in front of his bounty.
He opened his best friend Ron's first.
Harry,
Happy birthday! Guess what? We're going to Hermione's this summer! She'll tell you more in her birthday letter. How are you? Muggles getting you down? Hope not. Well, hope you like the present from me and Ginny, we chipped in. I think she might've sent you a letter, I'm not sure. It's something we're sure will come in handy. Me and Ginny found it quite entertaining. Well, have a great birthday. See you soon!
Ron
Harry smiled and opened his present from Ron and Ginny. It was rectangular, covered with gold paper and Ron had drawn a sloppy Gryffindor lion in red ink. He chuckled. He took off the paper carefully, put it to the side, and saw a green velvet book. In smooth silver writing, it was entitled, The Boys' Handbook: What Girls Think About and Other Mysteries Solved. He laughed out loud and opened the front cover. A letter in a girl's handwriting fell out onto his lap. Harry picked it up and read:
Dear Harry,
Isn't this incredibly useful? I've heard about your Cho trouble. Anyway, happy 16th birthday. You've been alive 16 years! Isn't that a blessing? Well, I'll see you soon. Happy birthday!
Love from,
Ginny
It was a very thoughtful gift, Harry thought, although maybe a bit personal.
He put the book aside to read later. He opened Hermione's letter next.
Dear Harry,
Happy birthday! I've got great news! You're coming to my house this summer! Ginny and Ron are coming too, of course. We'll pick you up on August 1st at 8 am, so be ready! Sorry for the short notice. Don't worry, we'll use a car to pick you up with. See you soon!
Love from,
Hermione
He picked up his present, thoroughly excited that he was going to the Grangers'; he just hoped that Ron and Hermione wouldn't bicker too much. Inside was a bunch of miniature broomstick models that flew about the room when unwrapped. He smiled, then reached for Hagrid's gift next. He unfolded the letter and read Hagrid's scrawled writing.
Harry,
Happy birthday! Let's hope nothing bad happens this year, eh? You're sixteen, so have fun!
Cheers,
Hagrid
Harry grinned and put the letter to the side. He unwrapped the box, but it suddenly shook, and Harry withdrew his hand. Hagrid had a tendency to send dangerous things as presents, though not on purpose. Apprehensively, he opened the box to see what was inside, and breathed a sigh of relief. It was a mimbulus mimbletonia. For a second he had thought it would be something dangerous. He put the strange plant on the side table and set his birthday cards on top of the cabinet. Harry stepped back, admiring them.
At that moment, the door bell rang, and Harry ran down the stairs two at a time. He opened the door and saw Amanda. He caught his breath and said hello.
"Hey, Harry! Happy Birthday! You're finally 16!" She paused and smiled. "You know what that means, doncha? You are now older than me!"
Harry smiled. "So where are we going today? Park...swimming..."
"Well, my house first,"she said pensively,"and we'll figure out what to do afterwards, when the time comes."
They walked down the road, chattering aimlessly until they reached Amanda's house. She opened the door and ushered him inside. It was completely dark. She fumbled with the light switch. The light turned on, and...
"SURPRISE, Harry! Happy Birthday!" Amanda screamed, next to his ear (where, frankly, he was sure he was now deaf) along with more voices. And from behind a corner jumped out Ron, Hermione and Ginny.Amanda hugged him, followed by Hermione and Ginny. Ron shook his hand, and said "Hello, mate!"
Harry turned to Amanda and stammered out, "T-thanks Am-manda, w-wow...I n-never expected this! How'd you find Ron and Hermione?"
She beamed. "Well, they had just pulled up to your house. I was finding a lack of response for your party," she smiled sheepishly, "I went up to them and asked if they knew you. They said yes, so I invited them over to help out. They were rather enthusiastic about it, almost as much as I was!"
He turned to Ron and Hermione and asked, "Why'd you guys come early? Not that I mind of course..."He added hastily, "but you were due tomorrow."
Hermione smiled bemusedly and said, "Well, we thought we'd give you a little surprise and pick you up early. Did you like our gifts?"
"Oh yes, the model broomsticks were great, thanks. Ron and Ginny's gift was great too. Very interesting."
Ginny laughed. "I knew you'd find it useful."
"What'd you get him, Ginny?" Amanda inquired.
"Oh,just a book that tells you how to deal with girls." Ginny replied.
Amanda laughed, along with Hermione.
Hermione and Ginny seemed to be getting along well with Amanda, as they were talking and laughing quite happily and comfortably in their own little world.
Ron pulled Harry aside then, and whispered with a bit of a smirk, "So, who is this Amanda? A new girlfriend? Gotten over Cho that quickly, eh?"
Harry flushed. "No. We're just friends. But you should be the one to talk." He added furiously, "You're the dolt who doesn't realize that you and Hermione like each other!"
A creep of red went up Ron's cheeks. "What are you talking about?"
Harry rolled his eyes and groaned. "Nothing."
They went over to join Ginny, Hermione, and Amanda, who were talking about Muggle music.
When Hermione spotted them coming over, she called, "Hey, guys, we'd better go. We're late as it is, and my mum's waiting in the car."
Amanda's face fell, and in a disappointed voice replied, "Already?"
"Yeah." Hermione checked her watch. "It was a lovely party, Amanda. It was nice to meet you." Hermione looked up and smiled. They all headed towards the door.
"Harry, wait up for a bit, please!" Amanda called behind her shoulder, as she ran up the stairs at full speed.
She went back down just as rapidly, stopping before him with flushed cheeks and a gift wrapped in paper with balloons all over it. "I just wanted to give you your present."
"Thanks." He took it awkwardly.
Amanda surprised him then, by kissing him on the cheek tentatively. When she drew back, her eyes were sparkling oddly. "Well, see you next summer." She murmured, eyes downcast.
Harry smiled. "Okay, see you then." He said, with his heart twinging a bit. It must have been those two pieces of cake, he thought, rubbing his chest.
"Bye," he called as he walked out the door.
"Bye," she said sadly, and closed the door behind him. Harry jogged down the front steps and headed towards a silver Mercedes. Harry's eyes widened in disbelief as he climbed in the back seat. Ron had apparently already brought his trunk down, as he was nursing his toe and muttered, "Damn trunk" under his breath repeatedly.
"Wow, Hermione, Mrs. Granger, you're well-off, aren't you? Nice car." Harry said appreciatively.
She blushed, glanced at Ron and said, "Well, a bit. It's not a big deal. Thanks, though..." Mrs. Granger, who had brown hair like Hermione's (except rather less bushy) and sparkling hazel eyes looked back, smiled at them, and said, "Ready?"
They nodded.
Ron eyed the gift on Harry's lap. "Who's that from? Why haven't you opened it yet?"
Harry looked down. "Oh, that. Amanda gave to me. I'll open it now."
Hermione's mother was starting the car, and they all jumped as they heard it. But soon their attention was back on the present. He opened the card first.
Dear Harry,
Happy birthday. This summer has been a lot of fun. Thanks so much for making me feel at home in Little Whinging, I appreciate it. I only wish we went to the same boarding school. St. Brutus' s, eh? Knew you had it in you! (Joking! You're a good guy and great friend!) Thanks for everything. See you next summer. I'll send the Dursleys a letter every so often to give to you, so we can stay in touch. Happy 16th!
Love,
Amanda
They all smiled. Ron nudged the gift. "Open it!" he urged.
Harry pulled off the wrapping paper, and inside was a leather bound book. He opened the first page. Instead of letters, he saw sketches of himself and Amanda, some photos, and quotes and such about friendship (such as, 'Absence makes the heart grow fonder.'). He smiled as they flipped through the book, which was about 20 pages long. Some sketches took up two pages, and were very good. They captured their expressions exactly.
"Wow," whispered Hermione. "She's good."
They kept flipping through the pages and the trip to Hermione's house passed by in no time.